Tag: Stealth

Recently at an air show, the Russians unveiled their new Fifth Generation fighter. For those not in the know on such things, fifth generation is the most advanced with the F-15 and F-16 being Fourth Generation. Their upgrades as well as the Super Hornet of the US Navy are considered 4.5 generations. The only operational Fifth Gen fighter in the world now is the F-22 Raptor which has been both a bane and a boon to the Air Force. It is by far the superior fighter in air to air combat, routinely besting F-16s and F15s even when outnumbered.

So when I read this comment in the Danger Room blog, I was interested:

Kremlin boss-for-life Vlad Putin went to an air show, and watched as Russia’s newest jet, the T-50, took a test flight. Then he boasted that it was a “fifth generation” stealth fighter, able to beat the only other plane in that class, America’s F-22 Raptor. “I know, I’ve flown,” Putin said.

Naturally, the Air Force, home to some of the best pilots in the world and the most high tech weaponry on the planet wasn’t nervous, were they? Well, one guy from the Air Force Association used the unveiling in March to take a stab at the White House and the DOD which has cut back on the number of Raptors from tons and tons to 187.

Do you think the Russians will stop at building 187? How many do you think they will sell to their customers?

Ouch. First off, let’s get one thing clear, the Russkies don’t have the infrastructure on hand to pump out tons of planes. They could, and might develop it but right now, They can’t can’t even get their sole aircraft carrier up and running. Second, I get the part about jobs and the sales to overseas customers, but do you really want your top of the line fighter in the hands of anyone.

Third, Aviation Week did an analysis, They probably know more about planes than you and I. One guy said, it’s cool but no Raptor.

The big question is how long the aircraft will take to enter service, which is a product of three factors – how much money is available, how many resources industry can muster to get the job done, and where the design, technically, stands at this point.

For the answers, go to the link above. The answers are a bit long winded and too long to quote here.

So why the long post on something that I really don’t know much about and doesn’t really involve people here? Because it is interesting to see the Air Force or any branch of the military for that matter get all worked up and cause a scare to get more of their pet project. Remember, the Congress and Def. Sec. Robert Gates cut back on the Raptor program in favor of the F-35 JSF. That said, that program is getting a bit pricey and that might be cut. Right now, nothing is safe. Gates wants to cut back on the carrier fleet as well.

How many times have we seen terrifying Russian wunderwaffen displayed at air shows, only to see them later fade into obscurity? Remember the Kamov-50 helicopter, seen as the rival to the AH-64 Apache? Russia built just 26. A single attack battalion, of which the US has almost a dozen, has about as many Apache helicopters.